This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a gaming machine and to an improvement to a game played on such a gaming machine.
Players who regularly play gaming machines quickly tire of particular games and therefore it is necessary for manufacturers of these machines to develop innovative game features which add interest to the games. In so doing, it is hoped to keep players amused and therefore willing to continue playing the game as well as to attract new players.
Also, with the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market, there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply various existing and new venues. When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will often pay close attention to the popularity of various games with their patrons. Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise games which are popular with the players as a mechanism for improving sales, retaining customers and attracting new customers.
According to the invention, there is provided a gaming machine having a display means and a game control means arranged to control images displayed on the display means, the game control means being arranged to play a game wherein at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the display means and, if a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize, the gaming machine being characterized in that a game played under the control of the control means includes symbols representative of aids (referred to below as xe2x80x9caid symbolsxe2x80x9d), said aid symbols being applied in a subsequent feature to improve the player""s prospects of success in the subsequent feature.
In this specification, the term xe2x80x9cappliedxe2x80x9d means, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, using, accumulating, selling, swapping, or the like.
The game played under the control of the control means may be a base game with the subsequent feature being a feature game.
The aid symbols may be accumulated by the player during the base game, the aid symbols being used by the player in the subsequent feature. The aim of the aid symbols is to enable the player, in the subsequent feature game, to vary his or her position, ie. generally to increase the total number of credits received, during the feature game.
In one embodiment of the invention, the accumulation or collection of the aid symbols may be effected during the base game. Further, the accumulation of a predetermined number of the aid symbols during the base game may serve as a trigger condition for the subsequent feature game which may be a second screen feature game. In other words, once a certain number of aid symbols have been collected, the feature may commence. More aid symbols may be available than are needed to be collected to start the feature. Accordingly, the player will always enter the feature with the same number of aid symbols but the aid symbols themselves may differ from feature to feature. It will be appreciated that, preferably, various aid symbols are provided as a subset of symbols. Accordingly, it may require a predetermined number of different aid symbols to commence the second screen feature or some of the aid symbols may be the same as one another.
In another embodiment of the invention, after completion of the game, the subsequent feature commences during which the player may use the aid symbols that were accumulated during the game to improve the possibility of the player receiving a greater total monetary reward during the subsequent feature than would have been possible without the assistance of the aid symbols.
The game may be a series of free games triggered from a preceding game. During the series of free games, the aid symbols may be accumulated.
Still further, in another embodiment of the invention, the aid symbols may not need to be accumulated from the base game or a series of free games at all. Instead, the game may be a feature game during which at least one aid symbol is selected from a larger set of aid symbols. The selected aid symbols may be used during the subsequent feature. The subsequent feature may be a free game feature and the selected aid symbols may interact with other symbols of games of the free game feature.
In a variation of this embodiment, only those aid symbols that were displayed on the display means at the time when the feature was triggered may be available during the feature. In this regard, the feature may be triggered by a specific combination of symbols in a preceding game or by a random event of some sort which may be dependent upon the size of the player""s bet.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the subsequent game, being a secondary feature, may be run at the same time as the base game with aid symbols being collected from the secondary feature. This may be effected, for example, by means of a secondary display such as a top box monitor which may display the aid symbols at the same time as the base game is played. Every time the player makes a bet on the base game, a secondary animation may occur in the secondary display from which an aid symbol may or may not be revealed. Every time an aid symbol is revealed it will be accumulated either on the secondary display or on the primary display, unless it had already been collected, for use in a subsequent feature game.
The game played under the control of the control means may also include impediment symbols which have a negative effect on the success of the player. In such circumstances, the probability of success may be lowered or the effect of all aid symbols collected by the player may be nullified when the impediment symbol is revealed.
The aid symbols may, in certain circumstances only comprise a portion of a device representing an aid, the player having to collect the various portions of the device in order to have the benefit of the aid in a subsequent feature.
In still another embodiment, additional aid symbols may be accumulated during the feature using aid symbols that have already been accumulated. In addition, the aid symbols may only be used once during the feature or they may be able to be used more than once.
The player may be given the option to exchange aid symbols for at least one of other aid symbols and credits. For example, before a second screen feature commences, a trading feature may be commenced which allows the player to trade the player""s accumulated aid symbols, either for other aid symbols or credits. The number of credits obtained and the value of each aid symbol may be different depending on the benefit afforded to the player by having that aid symbol in the second screen feature game.
Prizes that are awarded during the subsequent game employing the aid symbols may be dependent upon the aid symbols that were used to reveal them. Thus, the more difficult it is to reveal the prize, the higher the prize will be. Accordingly, as aid symbols are used to increase the likelihood of revealing the prize the value of the prize may be reduced proportionately. In such a way, the player may affect the volatility of the feature through use of the aid symbols.
The selection of the aid symbols may be randomly effected. Instead, player choice may be involved in selecting the aid symbols which the player wishes to use. to add interest and variety to the subsequent game or to increase the player""s chances of success during the further feature.